Patriots Win First Game in Nike Tournament of Champions

PHOENIX — It has been 10 years since the Germantown Academy girls basketball team has competed in the Nike Tournament of Champions, but they made their presence felt in their first game in Arizona. Behind an offensive outburst in the second quarter, the Patriots defeated West Campus High School (CA), 60-53.

Before the team went out to Arizona, Head Coach Sherri Retif said that the tournament games would be a good test for the team. Just last year, West Campus went 30-4 and won the California Interscholastic Federation championship.

After one quarter, West Campus’ talent showed as they led the Patriots, 15-13. However, GA’s offense and defense turned things around in the second quarter, exploding for 26 points and limiting the Warriors to only eight.

In the second half, it was West Campus’ turn to show off their firepower. The Warriors outscored Germantown Academy 30-21, but it was not enough to pull out a victory.

The GA offense was led by Jaye Haynes ’20 who had 16 points and three rebounds. Alexa Naessens ’18 recorded a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. As a team, the Patriots had 13 steals.

The Patriots are 8-1 overall and move onto the Anderson Bracket Quarterfinals where they will face Omaha Westside (NE) on Dec. 20.